The Heart Finds a Home
by sissouthernink1994
Summary: G Callen never had a home, but was always looking for one. Eric Beal has plenty of love to give, but no one to give it to. What happens when the one without a home finds the one with the love to give? Full summary inside
1. Intro

The Heart Finds a Home

**Warning**: This is a male/male love story. If you don't like, please don't read. I will not be offended. Rated T for now will change to M later.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own NCIS: Los Angeles

**A/N:** This is a love story involving G Callen and Eric Beal. A lot of people can't see these two as a couple; I can't help but see it. It just makes sense to me. So, this is my first official fic paring the two. I say official because I wrote two one-shots on them but will be the first multi-chapter. Thanks to **eacwicked**, **bowsie22**, and **Aria Silver** for agreeing with me about this couple. They read and reviewed "What it Takes" which looks into their future. You can also find G and Eric in my multi-crossover "Dreams", which actually leads to "What it Takes."

"The Heart Finds a Home" picks up where the first chapter of "The Tea Lesson" ends. I hope everyone enjoys it. Please review after reading, even if you aren't a fan of the couple. Keep reading, maybe you will be. 8)

**Summary**: Home means a place where one lives, place where one was born. It's feeling of being at ease or at rest. Home is where the heart is. G Callen never had a home. He often had a roof over his head, but not a home. Heart means the hollow muscular organ that circulates the blood by alternate dilation and contraction. It's the center of emotions, inmost thought and feeling. Eric Beal always had a big heart full of love to give but no special person to receive it. Home and family were always a constant in his life. So what happens when the one looking for a home finds the one who has the heart full of love to give?


	2. The Beginning

**Warning**: This is a male/male love story. If you don't like, please don't read. I will not be offended. Rated T for now will change to M later.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own NCIS: Los Angeles

Chapter 1: The Beginning

Eric eagerly waited the end of the day when he could go down and possibly check the empty locker without being seen. The team had been in and out of the comm room all afternoon after lunch and he only had a few chances to go to the men's room, not to the locker area. He was anxious but trying to not get his hopes up just in case the note didn't have the response he wanted or worse there was no note at all.

He waited until the team all left before he decided to leave. He looked around before opening the empty locker, just so no one would see him. There was a note. He held his breath. The note told him to go to The Wave at 7:30 p.m. The Wave was a little food joint he and other surfers liked to frequent when they surfed. He hoped it was a good sign that G was meeting him there and not someone else playing a joke on him. He rushed home to change clothes. It was still a date. _And Sam says_ _I don't wear pants, ha!_ he thought. He arrived in his flip-flops (he was still going to the beach) with just a few minutes to spare. He looked around and didn't see G. A surfer friend came to him and said someone was waiting for him on the porch side. He walked over to see G Callen with a large grin on his face. Eric almost turned around, too embarrassed to stay. G gently grabbed his hand.

"Hey Eric…wait don't go," Eric stopped and turned to look at G. "What you did today was very brave. With all the stuff I do for work, and as brave as I _think_ I am, I wasn't brave enough to ask you out." Eric was shocked.

"You wanted to ask _me_ out?" Eric asked with surprise. But knowing Callen like he did, his cautious side spoke up. "Don't play with me Callen. I'm not some naïve kid, you know."

"I know you're not and I'm not playing Eric." G looked him squarely in the eye, hoping Eric would see that he was serious. "You don't have to call me 'Callen'; call me G. Come on," he tugged the younger man's hand. "Let's have dinner and watch the rest of the sunset. We have a lot to talk about." G leaned over and kissed Eric's cheek. He blushed; wondering deep down inside how much Hetty knew about all of them and never said a word.

G showed Eric the table he had picked and they waited for someone to bring them menus. They were on a shaded side of the porch, as the regulars called it. But they would be able to see all of the beautiful Californian sunset. One of Eric's friends, who worked there, brought menus.

"Hey Eric, what's going on?"

"Not much Simon and you?"The shook hands in their surfer dude way.

"Same old, same old. Yo who's your friend?"

"Simon Jones this is G Callen, my…colleague and friend." Eric didn't quite know what to call G yet. They were still co-workers, now becoming friends. He wondered how long before they became something more. Simon put forth his hand to shake, and G did.

"Nice to meet you G."

"Same here."

"You surf much? Don't remember seeing you around here."

"Not in a long time." G replied. Before he could ask why, Eric answered his own question. No permanent home meant that you only kept the bare essentials with you. And most of those could be bought just about anywhere now days. G would have no place to keep a surfboard.

"Hugo and Sarah do refresher courses of you're interested in surfing again." G smiled.

"Thanks. I'll look into it."

"Awesome! What can I get you guys to drink?"

"I'll have a Heineken." Eric said.

"Make it two. I'm not picky today."

"Coming right up." Simon said and headed to the bar. G picked up the menu.

"Interesting friends, Eric."

"Oh you just wait 'til you meet the rest of them."

"I'm not meeting them all tonight, am I?" Eric looked around the beach surrounding the eatery.

"Nah, I only see a few. I don't usually seem the majority of them until Friday nights or Saturdays."

"Good, I wanted to be able to spend some time with just us, tonight."G reached across the table to hold Eric's hand and they both smiled. "What's good to eat here?"

"Well, I usually have the fish tacos. I've had the Shrimper's Paradise a few times. But if I've been surfing, usually the L.A. Burger and rings. You know something to replace the energy."

"Never had fish tacos. Maybe I'll try them."

"Excellent choice." Eric said. Simon had returned with their beers and they placed their orders. "G, if you look over there, you can see the fishing boat." Eric pointed to a place far off behind them when G could see a fishing boat.

"How many times a day does the boat go out?"

"They used to have one boat stay out there and smaller ones come get the fresh fish and seafood. That's one of the reasons I like this place. The seafood is so fresh. They keep the menu simple; only list what they know they can catch. At one point, they had night fishermen to get an early start on the next day. I don't know if they still do that."

"Sounds interesting." G paused to ask another question but was interrupted by a high-pitched squeal from a woman who looked like she was going to attack Eric at anytime.

"Eric! Eric! Eric! I'm so happy to see you." She hugged him from behind almost choking him. She planted kiss after kiss on his cheeks. G looked at him, wondering if he needed saving.

"Ugh…Sarah enough. Can't…breathe…" Sarah let him go. Eric rubbed his neck. "I'm not a long lost teddy-bear, you know."

"I know. I'm sorry Eric but I'm **so** excited to see you!" She finally paid attention to the fact that he wasn't alone. "Oh, and your dinner companion. Hi, I'm Sarah St. Claire."

"I'm G Callen." He replied, shaking her hand. She gave Eric a side-glance.

"G Callen? _The_ G Callen?" She turned to Eric, smiled then turned back to G. "Well, sir I'm very glad to finally make your acquaintance. I've heard so much about you that I feel like I practically know you."

"Really?" G asked with interest. "Do tell." Eric's cheeks were a bright description of tomato red.

"Sarah, now's not the time."

"Oh why not? I think the fact that the two you are here- together, is a huge step. Congratulations, grasshopper." She smiled and gave him a more sisterly hug. "I'm proud of you."

"Thanks." Eric replied.

"May I see your phone Mr. Callen?" Sarah asked. G reluctantly handed her his phone. She dialed a number and they heard her own phone ring inside her purse. She took her phone out of her purse and saved G's number.

"What's that about?" G asked as she handed the phone back.

"If I need you or need to do something _to_ you, I know how to get in touch with you."

"I can always throw away a phone."

"Ah, yes you can. However, _**I**_ will always be able to find you. I have my ways Mr. Callen." She kissed Eric's cheek. "Enjoy your dinner sweetie."

"What's with her?"

"She's like a sister to me. And she protects everybody. Her line of work is similar to ours."

"How similar?"

"To say she could be a female version of you would be a fair statement."

"Oh. That good huh?"

"Yeah, that good." Simon brought their food and G was pleasantly surprised at the sight and smell of his fish tacos.

"This is actually pretty good Eric. Good suggestions." They continued to eat and talk. For once talking about things outside the office.

* * *

In lieu of dessert, the two decided to talk a walk on the beach, getting a close up of the sunset. G took off his shoes and rolled up his pants legs to avoid sand. Eric had on khaki pants so he didn't mind if they got a little wet.

"I'm sure I have an extra pair of flip-flops in the car. I could get them if you want."

"Nah, I'm good."They sat next to each other in the warm sand, still talking.

"Thank you for my lollipops. Cherry is my favorite."

"I know. You're very welcome. I remember you saying they were your favorites a long time ago when Hetty complained about not seeing you eat real food."

"Wow, long time huh?" Eric nodded yes and he decided he wanted to know more about G, more than their resident shrink could have figured out.

"G, what makes me attractive to you?" G smiled at the question, knowing that Eric wouldn't be expecting his answer.

"I think you're sexy."

"Sexy? Me sexy?" G was right; that was an answer Eric didn't expect.

"In your own way, yeah."

"What way is that?"

"You don't think you're sexy?"

"No. Well, maybe in an alternate universe. But not the one we currently live in."

"You are what I call intelligent sexy." G replied, getting closer to Eric, preparing himself hopefully for a kiss.

"Never heard of it."

"Oh yeah, there are different degrees to sexiness. There's physical sexy. Those are the people with the sexy bodies. They have the perfect muscles, hair teeth- all that. There's financial sexy. Those are the people with the huge bank accounts, trust funds, you name it. Now they don't actually have to look good. The money makes them sexy. They can buy whatever and whomever they want." Eric nodded that he was understanding, making a mental note to research it later. "Then there are those who are power sexy. These people like to be in control, wearing the power suits, having people run at their beck and call. There's the shy sexy. That's the demure, innocent type of sexiness. And lastly there's you- intelligent sexy."

"Ok, explain it."

"Intelligent sexy. These people do often wear glasses. Something about the 'librarian-looking-over-the-glasses' look is appealing. You know a lot of stuff and you like to share, sometimes too much. And you ramble a little, but when we're not in a hurry the rambling is cute." Eric couldn't believe what he was hearing. G Callen thought it was cute to see Eric's reaction. "I like men who know things. Everything you know may not be street smart, but the courage to learn is a turn-on for me."

"So you're saying me being a hyper-intelligent, brainiac, insert-favorite-nerd-adjective-here, egghead turns you on?"

"Well, yeah." Eric blushed and smiled, not really believing his ears. G moved even closer to him, letting him know that he was very serious. "You're saying that me being rough and manly isn't a turn-on for you?"

"No, I mean yes. I mean, it is a turn on, but I wasn't going to tell you that. If you hadn't accepted my note, you would have never known."

"Why not?"

"Being gay is new to me. I've always dated, but none of the women liked me enough to continue to a relationship."

"And the men?"

"Totally new experience. I've been out on a couple of dates, talked with a lot guys through chat rooms and gone on group outings, but I have yet to get someone's attention."

"Well, you clearly have mine." G whispered as he placed a comforting hand on Eric's knee. This almost made Eric lose his train of thought.

"What level of…of sexy do you…you consider yourself?"

"Most days I'm a combination, I think. What do you think?" He asked, getting closer to Eric's face, caressing his cheek. It made Eric a little nervous.

"Uh…combination's good. I…I think."

"Am I making you nervous Eric?" Eric held up two fingers a few inches a part indicating just a little. "Why? Not used to being so close to someone? Or this close to a man? Wait…have you ever been kissed, by a man?" Eric made a nervous laugh.

"No to all of the above."

"Would you like to be?"

"Be what?"

"Kissed by a man? If you don't or if you're not ready just tell me. I won't make you do anything you're not ready for." Eric quietly thought. _What do I have to lose? Lots of people kiss at the end of their first dates. Why should I be any different?_ G still had a hand on Eric's knee and Eric placed his hand over G's.

"Ok," Eric whispered. "You can kiss me." G smiled, leaned forward closer to Eric's face and gently gave him a peck on the lips.

Eric was confused and before he could protest, G kissed him again, with a more sensual kiss. Eric could feel G's hand caress the side of his face as their lips touched. G changed the angle of his head, tenderly tugging on Eric's bottom lip. G pulled back to look at Eric who was speechless. Eric leaned forward, not wanting the kiss to stop. G chuckled, leaning forward returning to the kiss. Eric felt his bottom lip being tugged and sweetly licked. That warm tongue was soon asking for permission to enter Eric's mouth but he wasn't sure. He decided to let his inhibitions go and slightly parted his lips. The awesome sensation he felt caused him to feel as if he was melting into his surroundings like the setting sun. A moan floated up from somewhere in his body, through his throat and into the kiss. His heart fluttered at the knowledge that G's hand left its place on his cheek, along with his arm to embrace him around the waist.

The need for air soon pushed the two apart. Eric was panting so much that it seemed like he was in a panic and going to hyperventilate. G calmed him by making sure he was slowing his breathing. G smiled at his gorgeous geek and said:

"Well?"

"Huh?" was Eric's reply. The young man was obviously still dazed. "Do all gay men kiss like that?"

"No, just me." G said kissing him softly again. He pulled Eric closer to him until Eric was sitting between his legs. G hugged him from behind and kissed his cheek.

"I never thought of you as a person who liked to cuddle." Eric said.

"Why? Because I didn't have a lot of interactions with people?" Eric nodded. "Well, it's a behavior I learned and I don't cuddle with everyone, just those people I like."

"Like me."

"Yes, like you."

"How did you know you were gay? I can't imagine that's something they teach in foster care or the group home."

"No they don't. When we're of age, they teach the basic sex ed class like we got in school. The gay part I figured out on my own. I just thought boys were cuter than girls were. I never told anyone about it because I didn't know if it would make a difference in where I was placed. I read some books but this older boy introduced me to it. We were in the same foster home at the time. He was 15 and I think I was 14. We shared a room and he liked to masturbate. A lot. I had only been there a few days when he asked me if I wanted to watch. I said sure, not really understanding what it was about. He told me what he was thinking about and it kind of fascinated me to see him jerk off."

"I think that's normal for all 13 year old boys, straight or gay."

"Probably so. But I liked him, I thought he was cute. Sometimes on Friday nights, after everyone had gone to bed we would get in one bed, didn't matter which one, and make out. I felt so grown up. Sometimes we would let our hands feel each other and that's when I learned about how do give a hand job. He taught me how do to oral sex. But I was moved before we got a chance to do anything more." Eric blushed a little at G's memory. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm just realizing how far behind I am."

"Far behind? What do you mean?" Eric turned back to look at him.

"You're talking about sexual experiences you had before you were even 16 and I've never been that far and I'll be 30 soon."

"Eric, are you a virgin?"

"Well, I tried having sex with this girl when I was 17. I don't know if it counts though. Neither of us had an orgasm. We didn't even finish the deed; she made me stop. I guess I didn't know what I was doing."

"Was there penetration? You actually entered her right?"

"Yeah, condom and all."

"Technically, you're not virgin. I don't know many people who had a perfect first time, not even those who remained virgins until marriage. Was that your only experience?"

"Well, I let a guy feel between my legs once, but it made me really uncomfortable. He was pissed at me." G nodded.

"If you didn't know him well enough that can happen. If all you wanted was sex, then it should have been fine. But if you were looking for a more meaningful experience, you need to know him. You need to have feelings for him."

"That seems so common sense." Eric said as he idly traced lines in the sand.

"It kind of is."

"Then why haven't I learned it?"

"Give it some time Eric. You need someone patient enough to let you explore your feelings, figure out what you want- who you're looking for." G ran his fingers through the blond's curly hair. It was almost baby hair soft beneath his fingers. G imagined how soft the hair would feel under his fingers if they were making out or making love. Suddenly something made sense to G. "I'll be patient enough for you to figure out what you want. And if things don't work out between us, we'll still be friends and teammates. And you'll know the kind of man you want in your life."

"You'd do that for me?" G nodded. "Why?" G didn't want to tell him the absolute answer right away, but he gave him one that would work until he was ready.

"Because, you need someone you can trust to help you. And I just reevaluated my life and I need to know if the changes I made are good choices." Eric smiled and leaned forward to kiss G's lips. It surprised the older man, but he went with it because the kiss tasted so good.

Before long, the two were laying in the sand, kissing with the setting sun as their backdrop. Eric's already pouty lips were now kiss swollen and made him beyond beautiful in G's eyes. G could tell that Eric felt comfortable with him. He let G touch him, although G didn't go very far. He didn't want to betray Eric's trust before he completely had it.

"Mmmm, Eric…I gotta stop kissing you."

"Why?" Eric asked with severe disappointment in his voice.

"Because if we keep it up, we'll end up doing something you're not ready for." They both sighed. "Besides it only our first date. We need some more time to get to know each other."

"We see each other everyday."

"I know but we can't do what we just did here, in the office. Well we could, but we wouldn't have our jobs afterward. I promise that will we have plenty of time to get to know each other better." G sat up and offered Eric his hand to help him. The sun had gone completely gone down and there was just enough evening light to get them back to the parking lot. They dusted the sand from their clothes and hair, laughing at what they thought Hetty might say about them.

On the way back to the parking lot, without thinking, one set of fingers sought out the other and they walked hand in hand the rest of the way. G walked Eric to his car and Eric pulled him closer for a few more kisses. There were sweet whispers between them and it ended with G swatting Eric gently on his behind before Eric got in his car. G got in his car with a huge smile on his face.

For the first time in a long time, G Callen felt good about starting a relationship. It could be Eric and not having to live up to so many gay stereotypes. On the other hand, it could have been the reading he received from the channelers a few days before. He didn't really believe in them, but they were different. These twin brothers, Jamal and Jafar, didn't ask many questions. All they needed to know was your first initial (which was great for him, because he didn't know his first name), birth date, and favorite color. Easy enough G thought.

They had him hold a crystal in the hand he wrote with, with his other hand on the outside. G asked for a love reading. They told him to picture the person he was thinking of or to think of love in general. Therefore, he pictured Eric. He had a crush on him for a few months now and he liked to see if there was a future for them. Or who was in his future.

One twin placed his hand on top of G's and the other towards his bother. Their "gimmick" was that the person's thoughts would transfer to the crystal. Jamal was supposed to feel the thoughts and transfer them to Jafar. Jafar would draw the face the person was thinking of. G didn't really believe it until he clearly saw Eric Beal's face on the paper. It was as if Eric had been sitting there for a portrait sketch. Even with that knowledge, he wanted to take things slow with Eric. He didn't want to ruin anything. He wanted to make sure this was for real and forever.


	3. Figuring it out

**Warning**: This is a male/male love story. If you don't like, please don't read. I will not be offended. Rated T for now will change to M later.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own NCIS: Los Angeles or any name brands mentioned.

**A/N:** Thanks to all of you who have read and alerted/favorite this story. I'm sorry the update has taken so long. Thanks for hanging in there and I hope I don't disappoint. Everyone's thoughts are in _italics_.

I have to give **Jinko** an inspiration shout out. If you haven't read her fic, "Our Secret" you should. It's on my favorites list. It's a great story about G and Sam. And so I borrowed a little inspiration from her.

Chapter 2: Figuring it out

It had been a few weeks, nearly a month, since G and Eric's date on the beach. They had each decided after about three weeks that they wanted to be together. G asked Eric if he was sure, if he was ready for this. Eric was sure. Eric couldn't think of anything he wanted more. He was stepping out of himself and reaching out to someone who wanted to reach out to him.

Their first few dates were fun and exciting for both of them. Quiet places where they could talk and be alone, enjoying each other's company. One night they decided not to go out but to make dinner at Eric's apartment. Eric wasn't an awesome cook, but everything he made was edible. His cousin gave him foolproof recipe for baked salmon with a creamy pasta and veggie side dish to go with it. G was put on salad duty. At least he couldn't mess that up.

It was that night that Eric, well both men, decided that they needed to be in each other's lives- outside of work. Their jobs were complicated; their relationship didn't have to be. They were beautiful in each other's eyes. G didn't want to let on but he felt that he had already fallen in love with the computer genius. He had never fallen for someone so fast; it surprised him. G usually struggled with being in love, mostly because he didn't have it growing up. And some studies show that when a child grows up in an environment that lacks key elements, those elements have a minimum presence if any at all. This time was different.

"I wanna be your boyfriend." Eric whispered in G's ear as they sat cuddled and surrounded by a humongous blanket on the beach not far from Eric's apartment.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, more than anything in my life."

"Are you really ready to be in a relationship? It's all or nothing."

"I'm ready to find out what it's like to fall in love. And to fall in love with you." Eric kissed G with surety and passion. The kiss was returned with the same passion and an embrace that told them they were doing right by their hearts and feelings.

"Ok, boyfriend." G said. Eric smiled. "You realize now that we have to be even more careful at work."

"We're careful now."

"I know, but we'll have to be extra careful."

"Maybe we can have some code words or something. Words that only mean something to us."

"Nothing too easy to figure out though." G replied. "Nothing in a foreign language either."

"What could we use?" Eric thought a minute. "Sports terms?"

"With the way Kensi watches sports? Nah. How about flowers?" Eric shook his head.

"Have you ever seen Hetty's garden?" G shook his head. "She has prize winning roses. Pick something else."

"We'll figure it out. Let's go before it gets too dark." They folded up the blanket and headed towards the car.

* * *

Kensi's thoughts

_I wasn't sure at first but I knew something was out of character, even for G. Callen. He's always cautious of his surroundings- people, places, things, events. He notices everything. That was my first clue. I don't know if he had a brain fart or what but he was definitely off his game. How could he let me kick him like that? And so hard? His mind was most certainly somewhere else. _

"Oh!" Marty said. "Dude you let a girl kick you!"

"G, man what were you thinking?" Sam asked. _I laughed but I knew he was hurting. I kicked him in the side pretty hard, maybe hard enough to leave a bruise. I looked at my kickboxing sparring partner with surprise. He was balled up in the fetal position._

"Oh come on Callen." I say. "Where was your block? Where's your response? That's not like you." He moaned.

"God, Kensi. I thought we agreed that we'd take our anger out on the inanimate punching bag," He said wincing, "not the human ones. Owww."

"Well, you are supposed to block my kick and protect yourself. You know I love to use that move to try and catch you off guard."

"But I'm never off guard." He replied rolling over onto his back still holding his right side.

"**Something's** got your mind." Sam teased. "She **never** catches you off guard with that." _And it was that moment that I saw exactly what caught him off guard. Eric had come into the gym to watch. He hardly ever does that. He's always working on something in Ops. But that day, that day was different. Eric was dressed to work out. He never works out with us. Never._

"You alright?" I ask. He nods his response. "I'm serious Callen."

"Kens, I'm good." He said sitting up.

"Ok, well, I'm done. I'm hitting the showers." _As I walk away, I see deep concern in Eric's eyes. I mean, we're a team- family really. We're all concerned about each other, but this was a look I had never seen on Eric before._

_ After showering, I was about to leave when I heard voices still in the gym. _

"You're hurt. We can do this lesson another time." Eric said.

"Nonsense baby. I'm good. Besides, you're doing most of the movements. You're learning pretty quickly."

"Yeah I know. But I don't think I'm getting the full benefit of what I'm doing because you're not moving like you should be." I could hear Callen sigh. "Let's just wait a day or two until you're not so sore." Callen looked defeated. "I'll even give you a massage, after you've been checked out, ok?" I could see Callen nod and then Eric leaned forward and kissed him_. _"Thank you for wanting to help me protect myself better." _SHOCK! They're a couple? How'd I miss that? I always thought Eric was gay, but I wasn't sure. Neither of them ever brought a date to anything. Well, neither have I for that fact. And the word cute suddenly comes to mind._

Sam's thoughts

_Did they __**really **__think they were fooling anybody? I mean I was the first to know that Eric was interested in G. Oh who am I kidding? Hetty probably knew first. She knows everything. I see the soft, oogly-googly eyes they make at each other. I see the Vulcan hand touch. Yeah, I watch Star Trek from time to time I know what it looks like. It's like they're shaking hands only using their index and middle fingers. Or a high-five, but down- low. They're slick with it too. Sometimes Eric will pass G in the hall or I'll see them touch when getting coffee. I can take all that. But the code words? Now __**that **__gets on my nerves. It took me a minute to figure it out, but I did._

_ Any references to chocolate meant sex. That was a little disturbing to figure out. Ok, more than a little. Semi-sweet or sweet chocolate meant making love, the kind that everyone wants- full of passionate caresses and kisses. They started out breaking off pieces and sharing them, you know like the saying "I'm gonna break you off?" That means someone will be doing it and doing it well. Hershey's was their favorite- with and without nuts. Dark chocolate meant something kinky for them. How do I know that? G was holding handcuffs or some kind of restraint material (rope, necktie, scarf) when he mentioned it. All Eric could do was smile. And respond with some German words that I don't remember the translation for anymore._

_ Lollipops, suckers in particular, I found out had to do with oral sex. How did I __**that**__ out? G was practicing while we were on a stake out. His weapon of choice? Blow Pops. Go figure. It would have delighted Eric to see what he was doing. It annoyed the hell outta me. Gummy worms meant kissing, you know like the spaghetti scene from Lady and The Tramp? I didn't have to guess about this one…I saw it happen. Candy bars, I came to figure out, meant love. The favorite of both? Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Salty and sweet- a real depiction of love and relationships._

Nate's thoughts

_I don't know when I realized it. I was probably the last to know, since this team has made it their life's work not to open up to me. I still used my education to figure it out. I first noticed it when we were in the Ops room. We all had been briefed and everyone was leaving the room to work on their assignments. Eric was typing with his super fingers, as usual. The unusual thing? The way Callen was standing behind him. He was watching the screen. While assisting Eric in narrowing down the information, he placed his hand on Eric's shoulder. Encouragement or comfort? I wasn't sure yet._

_ The next time I noticed something was when everyone was heading out for a pretty dangerous mission. Eric's usual calm, matter-of-fact demeanor wasn't so calm and matter-of-fact. A scared one replaced it. Before G left the building, I saw them whisper. I bet they don't know I can read lips. I know Kensi doesn't know I do. It's my secret to finding out all the secrets around here. What did they whisper? Eric begging him to please be careful and G promising to be as safe as he can._

_ I saw the gentle way G persuaded Eric to go home after we lost Dom. Eric was content to play video games all night to drown his grief. I saw them hold each other; it was all they could do to keep themselves from falling apart. I was pretty content with knowing that they were together and trying their best to keep it hidden from nosey office gossip, but especially from Director Vance when he was visiting. I knew it was love when the team had their most dangerous mission to date. Eric was so nervous that his hands shook as he typed. The visual we had blacked out- we couldn't see anything. The shots rang out so quickly. The screams and sounds of bullets ricocheting was enough to scare anyone in the room. My own blood ran cold. It was scarier for us because we couldn't see anything. He couldn't function. He couldn't breathe, he almost couldn't look at the screen but we all did in hope that by some miracle it would have come back up at that moment. He paled and began to sweat at the thought that the love of his life's cover just might have been blown and he was killed. _

_ He shook with just as much relief as he did fear when he heard Callen's voice come through saying that everyone was fine, they weren't the ones who had been hurt. Eric was a trooper and plowed through the paperwork he needed to do and as soon as he was done, he bolted for the nearest stairwell exit. By that time, the others were back. G looked frantically and silently looked for him. I pointed him towards that particular stairwell and he nearly ran to get to Eric. I peeked in quietly to make sure they were alright. Both men had tears flowing down their cheeks._

"G…the bu…bullets…and the screams…I-" He sobbed. "I thought… I lost you." He was shaking in G's arms.

"I know baby, I know." G comforted, blinded by his own tears. "For a moment there, thought I'd lost me too." _They held each other for dear life._

Hetty's thoughts

_I was never one for my agents dating each other. A rule I adopted from Leroy Jethro Gibbs. I believe it's his Rule #12, never date a co-worker. Bad things can happen when co-workers date. Work problems make into the home and the home issues make it into the work place. Mr. Beal makes it a pretty good habit of leaving his work at work. No reason for him to do that type of research at home. I'm glad Mr. Callen leaves his work at work as well._

_ My nickname for him is the Chameleon. He adapts to whatever the situation, sometimes without realizing it. He never used his real name when renting hotel rooms or rooming houses. At one point, I thought he was homeless. Well, he might as well have been. He __**was **__sleeping on the couch in the office. For all of his God given talent and intelligence, Mr. Callen has a love for the temporary. This was my first concern between him and Mr. Beal. _

_ Love is complicated enough; add two people who had not really experienced it and it could be a recipe for disaster. The outcome has been surprising to me. They are so in love I don't know that I've ever seen a couple so much in love. I remember the day Mr. Beal came in to ask me about Mr. Callen and vice versa. I've experienced a lot in my life one of the biggest lessons I've learned is that sometimes people just have to find their way. Thank God they finally did._

_ I always had an inkling after that day, but I definitely knew when Mr. Beal made Mr. Callen eat. I have trouble persuading him to do that. And I'm pretty persuasive. I'm not sure what sexual favor or promise was made to get him to eat, and something healthy at that, but it worked. I think Mr. Callen is realizing that in order to be there for Mr. Beal, __**he has to actually be there.**__He no longer lives a carefree-nomadic life. Mr. Callen has a safe place to live, work and love. Mr. Beal is coming out of his shell. He is no longer the shy computer geek I hired. He now seems more of a man. He has a confidence that only used to hide behind firewalls, programming language and keyboards. _

Marty's thoughts 

_You know I really don't care if they're together or not. As long as it doesn't involve me. I'm still the new guy trying to figure out the whole team, let alone the two of them. But while we're on the subject of Callen and Eric…I didn't see anything. But I heard a lot of things. I mean I knew Callen could be a flirt, the job calls for it sometimes. He obviously thought he and Eric were alone or else he wouldn't have said what he said. I didn't see Eric but I'm pretty sure he was blushing. I'm also pretty sure I heard them both giggle. And that's just wrong; grown men don't giggle._

_Then there was the slow day. Well, slow for us. I was walking down the hall and I could have sworn I heard something fall in the broom closet. Being the brilliant detective that I am, I decided to check it out. The closer I got I could hear voices. At first, all I could hear were grunts and moans. As I started to knock on the door, I heard Callen moan and Eric say, _"Oh you're so tight"._**Whoa**__, I thought and backed away from the door. I looked around to see of anyone else was in the hall. I was alone and I quickly left the scene. A week or so after that I saw that one of the men's restrooms had an out of order sign on it. I didn't think anything of it. I think it was a compliant restroom. You know, there has to be a restroom every so many feet; never saw anyone go in it though. Go, in it, get it? Nevermind. Anyway, I sneezed and was going to step in to get some tissue. The door was locked. Ok, that made sense if there was a water leak or something. But the door wasn't locked. It gave a little when I pushed, but not enough. There was someone leaning on the door. Or some people. I heard Callen moan _"Oh god yeah."_ Again, I said __**whoa**__ and backed away from the door. _

_Then there was the time I heard the unmistakable sound of kissing. In the shower. The shower? Really? They couldn't wait 'til they got home for that? I heard soft moans mixed in with the spray of the water. I looked down the below the doors expecting to see painted girly toenails. Instead, I saw to manly feet, facing each other with the soap bubbles surrounding them rinsing away. _

"I missed you." Eric said.

"I told you I'll be as careful as I can to come back to you. I've got a few bumps and bruises, but I'm good baby. All I could think about was getting back to you. I want to make sure that you're safe. I'm good and I'm here."

_I know I heard conversation and kissing but as a new note to self, I don't use that shower anymore. I don't care how many times it's been cleaned since then. _


End file.
